Ashley Tisdale Opens Up About Feeling Excluded From a Celeb Mom Group
Ashley Tisdale French’s candid reflections on being excluded from a “problematic” group of mothers have garnered considerable attention from numerous fellow celebrities.
In January 2026, Ashley — who shares two daughters with her husband Christopher French — sparked discussion with an essay for The Cut entitled “Ending My Relationship With My Problematic Mom Group” as she openly recalled experiencing feelings of isolation from a group of friends.
“I recall being left out of several casual get-togethers, and I was aware of them because Instagram consistently showed me every single photo and Instagram Story,” she wrote. “I began to feel frozen out of the group, noticing every way that they appeared to exclude me. … I initially told myself it was all in my imagination, and it wasn’t a significant issue. However, I could sense a growing distance between me and the other members of the group, who seemed to not even notice that I wasn’t around much.”
Ashley stated that the group eventually became “too reminiscent of high school” for her, adding, “To be clear, I have never considered these mothers to be bad people. (Perhaps one.) But I do believe our group dynamic ceased to be healthy and positive — for me, at least.”
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While the actress didn’t name any individuals specifically in her essay, speculation quickly arose online that she was potentially referring to Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff, who frequently spent time with Ashley and other Hollywood mothers. A representative for Ashley subsequently denied that Moore and Duff were involved despite the High School Musical alum no longer following them on social media.
Chelsea Handler and Christy Carlson Romano have since shared their perspectives on the situation — as has Duff’s husband, Matthew Koma.
Keep scrolling to see which stars have publicly addressed the controversy:
Chelsea Handler
After receiving an explanation about Ashley’s now-viral essay on Page Six Radio, Handler offered her thoughts, saying, “I have no knowledge of what transpired, but I know Mandy Moore and she’s a wonderful, kind person. So I’ll simply say that. But I don’t really know Ashley Tisdale.”
Handler clarified that she had no understanding of what potentially occurred between the trio.
“And I don’t express it with negativity in the way I just stated,” she insisted. “But I don’t know Ashley Tisdale, so I want to be upfront. And I do like Meghan Trainor, as well.”
Handler also pointed out that she was glad to have “never” been part of a mom group. “It sounds dreadful. That’s another reason not to have children. To have to deal with that kind of situation,” she said. “You’re out of school, you’re a mother and you have to deal with that dynamic and being excluded again as an adult woman. No, thank you.”
Christy Carlson Romano
“Observing celebrity mom drama from outside the group is fascinating,” Romano wrote via Instagram before adding in her caption that she was “staying out of it.”
“I don’t identify as a celebrity. I think I’m a public figure, but I never refer to myself as a celeb,” the former Disney Channel actress, who shares two kids with husband Brendan Rooney, said in a separate Instagram video. “I think mom groups are really valuable for people when they first have their baby.”
She continued: “I think it connects you with a certain type of community to help you navigate postpartum hormones and things like that. I think it’s really beneficial, [and] that’s why mommy-and-me classes exist. … If that dynamic shifts, then simply find another group of friends. But, I understand. Sometimes it gets a little complicated — and then you write an article about it.”
Haylie Duff
Us Weekly confirmed that Haylie, who was previously rumored to have had a disagreement with sister Hilary, “liked” a joint Instagram post shared by Ashley and The Cut promoting the essay.
“ABANDON YOUR TOXIC FRIENDS IN 2026, says @ashleytisdalefrench,” the post read. “For #ItsBeenAYear, the actress, beauty founder, and mother details leaving her mom group, where the bullying between women mirrored their children’s playground behavior. Read the story of how it all unfolded, in her own words, at the link in bio.”
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Matthew Koma
Hilary’s husband uploaded a humorous image of himself on the cover of The Cut with a mock headline that read, “A mom group tell all through a father’s perspective: When You’re the Most Self-Centered and Out-of-Touch Person on Earth, Other Moms Tend to Shift Focus To Their Actual Toddlers.”
Christopher French
Ashley’s husband, meanwhile, took to his Instagram Story to share a post from graphic designer Tyler Spangler. “It’s your decision whether or not to participate,” the enigmatic message read.
Meghan Trainor
Trainor is a reported member of Tisdale’s mom squad alongside Hilary and Moore.
“Me discovering the apparent mom group drama,” she wrote via TikTok alongside footage of herself typing at a computer.
Trainor set her upload to her song “Still Don’t Care,” perhaps hinting at her attitude about Tisdale sharing the details.
Daryl Sabara
Trainor’s husband also commented on the apparent drama.
“No drama over here, just trying to keep the kids happy,” Sabara told TMZ shortly after Trainor broke her silence, referring to their two sons. “I don’t really know what’s going on. I hope she’s okay, though.”
Francia Raisa
Raisa starred alongside Hilary in Hulu’s short-lived How I Met Your Father and also weighed in on the drama.
In a TikTok video, she sat in a car and pretended to do a monologue from She’s the Man, lip-synching, “Speaking as a completely objective third-party outsider with absolutely no personal interest in the matter, I am not sure that you and Olivia really mesh well together.”
She captioned her post, “Not a mom but… #fyp #thecut.”
